Your Blogging Staff

Contributing to this blog:
- "Dave" is Dave Barry, who is a humor columnist and presidential contender.
- "judi" is Judi Smith, who is Dave's Research Department, as well as being interested in men.
- "Walter" is Walter, a bone from the penis of a walrus.

Last night I turned on National Geographic's special on Arlington Cemetery. My 7-year-old son decided to plop down on the couch next to me.

For the next 60 minutes, he was captivated by what he saw. He peppered me with questions about the Tomb of the Unknowns, about why the women were crying, about why the Honor Guard has to be so precise, about why there has to be war in the first place. I answered them the best I could.

I think he truly understood and was awed by the fact that the sea of white headstones represented valiant men and women who valued freedom so highly that they would give their lives to protect or secure it.

When I told him that the great majority of those markers represented people who died not for their own freedom, but for the freedom of those in other countries, it gave him pause. Finally, he said "Dad, we have a great country."

Through misty eyes, I said, "Yes, we do."

If you are a veteran, the six letters in the word "thanks" can't express what we owe you. Not just for what you did for the world, but for the example you set for my son.

Thank you for the freedom to worship in church without fear and for the privilege to vote.

My 13 year-old daughter is struggling in the subject of history. She asked, "Why is history so important? Why do I have to learn it? When will I ever use it?"

I measured my reply. History is important because, as it is said, it repeats itself. When we learn about history, we learn about cultures, worldviews, events and people. We learn what works and what didn't work, and hopefully why it did or didn't work. And sometime in our lifetime, if we see a person, nation, or culture developing a trend, we'll look to history to see if there is something we need to or can do.

In the 1990's, there was a trend to deny that the Holocaust ever took place. (Does anyone remember how ridiculous that theory was?) I remember talking to a young man (18 or 19) during college class. He was sick of hearing about the "so-called" Holocaust of WWII. I told him about Nicolae Ceausescu, a a modern-day despot so intent on genocide that he bulldozed villages and burned libraries in order to remove a culture from the face of the earth. History was repeating itself in our day.

We must never forget, never stop learning, never give in. There are men and women who died protecting our right to do so and it is our obligation to carry on.

Both of my grandfathers fought in WWII and I have always been so proud of them for that. But to ALL veterans, I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. We would not be where we are today without you.

I watched the flag pass by one day,
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it,
And then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud,
With hair cut square and eyes alert
He'd stand out in any crowd
I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil
How many mothers' tears?
How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of Taps one night,
When everything was still,
I listened to the bugler play
And felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times
That Taps had meant "Amen,"
When a flag had draped a coffin.
Of a brother or a friend.
I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands
With interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard
At the bottom of the sea
Of unmarked graves in Arlington.
No, freedom isn't free.

You're welcome for the day off. Too bad you probably don't know what it means to actually work a real job, or else you wouldn't be so sarcastic about Veteran's Day. You should thank real men who are obviously better than you. Go be sarcastic somewhere else where it might get you the laugh you're wanting.

Hi, I’m writing to you to try to get some info out to the general public about a benefit for our Veterans. It’s on the books, but most of our Vet’s don’t know about it. This is the Disability Pension. I live in the Detroit area and had a heck of a time finding out just the name of the benefit. I researched for 6 months: went to the VA Benefit website, called my Congressman, contacted Washington. Finally found an article in a local newspaper that an Elder law attorney had written about the subject. VA Regional kept telling me NO, a few service organizations told me NO, finally I paid $200.00 for the Elder Law Attorney who told me YES and put me in touch with knowledgeable people. I fought VA for 12 months and finally got the pension for my father, with back pay.

The shame of this is: This benefit could be helping so many of our Aging Vets, many of whom are living in poverty. Many are doing without medications or food to make ends meet because they don’t have this extra income. A lot of Senior Vets are living at home and need some assistance with daily living but can’t afford it. Many Seniors need to be in an Assisted Living Facility, but can’t afford it on their own. We, the families are trying our best to care for them after work and on weekends, but worry about them while we’re at work. Many of us are paying for their medications and or bills. This Pension would add hundreds, sometimes thousands to the Vets income each and every month.

Because of my frustration, I compiled all the info that I had collected over a period of 18 months into a small booklet to help other families avoid going through what I had just been through. I don’t claim to know everything about this benefit, but I found out enough to get the Pension for my dad. This info needs to get out to the FAMILIES of our senior vets who can apply for the benefit for their parents and wade through the waist deep paperwork that has to be filed with VA. But if you don’t have enough info from the beginning, you’ll be denied and give up. VA doesn’t give ALL the info. VA website LOOKS informative, but doesn’t tell the half of it. Most service organizations don’t give ALL the info. So I compiled what I learned from EVERYONE. Unfortunately, I have to charge $20.00 for the booklet, because it’s not cheap to have it printed up. I tried printing it on my home computer, after about 30 copies my printer died. I also keep a P.O. Box for receiving orders. I’m not going to get rich off this; I’m just trying to cover my costs. I have gone to the local Senior Community Centers with this info, my local newspaper did an article on this booklet, and I’ve done seminars to get the info out. But there is a whole nation of Vets and their families that don’t know about this benefit. PLEASE LET YOUR READERS KNOW. If anyone is interested in my booklet, they can order it at: Benefit Booklet, P.O.Box 40, Flat Rock, MI 48134. Thanks so much. D. Holbrook